Developer wants to ease FAA limits on St. Pete skyline
By Staff Report
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Published: Dec 29, 2014

The developer hoping to build a 41-story tower in St. Petersburg wants the Federal Aviation Administration to raise the maximum allowable height for buildings in the city.

Currently, the tallest building in the city is One Progress Plaza which stands at 386 feet. The height limit set by the FAA is 400 feet, the Tampa Bay Times said. The Kolter Group, the developer behind the One St. Petersburg project First Avenue and First Street N, has hired a consulting firm to investigate how best to petition the FAA to raise the limit.

One possibility calls for diverting planes approaching Albert Whitted Airport over the water of Tampa Bay instead of over downtown, the Times said.

"It appears to be kind of a win-win. The airport ends up with a better approach, which improves safety, and, oh, by the way, it increases height opportunities downtown," said Richard Lesniak, airport manager.